I know there doesn't seem to be a lot of common sense when it comes to extending the foreign visa amnesty, but I would be surprised if they didn't extend it for at least another 3 months come July.

 

In Chiang Mai, it's almost dead. The businesses that could open in phase 3 haven't because it's a ghost town. Will they open during stage 4 when it's still a ghost town and lots of businesses get a few customers per day (not enough to stay open). Hotels are probably closed forever. Most resturants won't even open for pick ups and deliveries. I can't see Chiang Mai becoming what it once was until months after tourists come back in force.

 

What are things like where you live?

 

So letting people stay who don't have coronavirus and are pumping money into economy to help what little businesses are open stay afloat doesn't sound like too bad an idea. In fact, it sounds like common sense.

 

Infection numbers raising when people arrive back from abroad, Iran seeing a second wave, Brazil still going crazy, and numbers going up when Europe opens will surely scare Thailand into putting on the breaks for another few months.

 

Does anyone really think foreigners will need to leave by 31st July?

If border crossings and flights are available in and out then it will not be extended. If not it will be extended for another month or so.

I think one issue is that the government has shown that it's not all that concerned about the average small business owner.  They also don't seem to value the contribution from the foreign people that are here currently.  Possibly they don't even want to acknowledge the contribution that foreigners within the country make to the economy (they seem to acknowledge international tourists reluctantly).  They don't seem to have included foreigners in the recent domestic tourism drive.

 

That's just my speculation though.

2 hours ago, finy said:

Does anyone really think foreigners will need to leave by 31st July?

On these type of questions many reply stuff like nobody knows, so why ask. I don't agree. Everyone should prepare for as many options as possible. Post #2 for example points out if borders are open then amnesty would not be extended. 

It's early June. Hopefully Thai gov will give update re amnesty prior to end of June.

If I did not have current permission of stay till late this year, I would certainly have eye on flights back to Oz prior to July 31.

Most people can fly home right now. 

Even if borders open say end of June, what will the reentry to Thailand involve. Any quarantine (paid for by yourself) would be deal breaker for many. Perhaps not for guys with family or live here. For others keep options open.

2 hours ago, finy said:

So letting people stay who don't have coronavirus and are pumping money into economy to help what little businesses are open stay afloat doesn't sound like too bad an idea. In fact, it sounds like common sense.

Common Sense is one thing.  Immigration is something else entirely.  Long before covid, immigration force-closed thousands of small businesses, by "cracking down" on tourists "here too much," spending foreign-sourced funds here. 

Will the current situation be enough to change that mindset?  Or will the impetus be to only help the big-businesses that benefited from the crony-connected (often foreign-owned) "tour group" tourism?  Only time will tell - but I am not holding my breath for a policy that helps small businesses.

Knowing Thai immigration a bit, my educated guess is that they will want to have control back sooner rather than later.

 

For this reason, I don't think they will prolong the automatic extension further, or maybe one last time that will come with a notice saying something along the lines of, get out now or extend at an immigration office.

 

As there's no local COVID-19 transmission anymore, they might simply not see attending an immigration office as risky anymore. I think that was their main reason for making the extension automatic back in the day.

 

If they will continue to offer special extensions for people who are genuinely stuck remains to be seen, but I'd assume they'll want to see embassy letters again in that case.

 

Enjoy it while it lasts, I sure do! ????

Just saw a list of international airports re-opining dates , and they mostly are in late June and July, in a circumstance like this iMO citizens who have their homeland airport opened  by end of july will not be entitled to an extension , and the rest will be required to bring document from their country's embassy. So no i dont think there will be an extension for the amnesty.

Clearly a new extension will be their only choice or hundreds  thousands people will show at consulates around.

 

Not difficult to understand.

 

6 hours ago, scoupeo said:

Clearly a new extension will be their only choice or hundreds  thousands people will show at consulates around.

 

Not difficult to understand.

 

They don't care...the consulates will allow x amount of people per day and process the exact same # of applications they did before the virus...it's the Visa seekers that will have  to queue for multiple days to gain access to the window. 

What do you think happens for someone on a METC who went to immigration to extend for 30 days in February, even though their 60 days stay in the country didn't end until March? Will immigration possibly add this onto the 31st July amnesty period as they didn't need to do the 30 days extension initially because the amnesty started from 26th March (but the extension was done a week before the amnesty period)?

Edited June 7, 20206 yr by bbi1

"So letting people stay who don't have coronavirus and are pumping money into economy to help what little businesses are open stay afloat doesn't sound like too bad an idea. In fact, it sounds like common sense." 

 

I am wondering. If I planned a holiday in Thailand and cannot go back to my home country after my planed holiday is over I would have a problem. But if I wanted to stay very long I would have applied for a visa allowing this. So what kind of people are happy that they don't have to go back? 

 

3 hours ago, bbi1 said:

What do you think happens for someone on a METC who went to immigration to extend for 30 days in February, even though their 60 days stay in the country didn't end until March? Will immigration possibly add this onto the 31st July amnesty period as they didn't need to do the 30 days extension initially because the amnesty started from 26th March (but the extension was done a week before the amnesty period)?

I would be astonished if any previous extensions expiring during the grace period were retroactively moved to run from the end of the grace period. 

9 hours ago, Oldie said:

I am wondering. If I planned a holiday in Thailand and cannot go back to my home country after my planed holiday is over I would have a problem. But if I wanted to stay very long I would have applied for a visa allowing this. So what kind of people are happy that they don't have to go back? 

Snow birds come to mind, retired people who usually spend the winter in Thailand and then go back home. Depending on where "home" is, they might well have been happy to sit out the pandemic in Thailand.

 

On 6/6/2020 at 4:07 PM, ubonjoe said:

If border crossings and flights are available in and out then it will not be extended. If not it will be extended for another month or so.

Guess the permissions to stay with a valid visa will be extended. 

I printed out their confirmation that I do not have go to the border until 31st July to pop in and out on my multi entry O visa, unless I hear that the border is open before that date. my concern is that will the border open before? or should it be extended I await the confirmation. It would seem reasonable to allow me to go to my local immigration to have a 3 month renewal stamp put in at no extra charge, plus no lost of validity, that way border crossings would not be overwhelmed, and paperwork would be up to date. Still wishful thinking Eh?

Edited June 8, 20206 yr by phetpeter

On 6/6/2020 at 8:19 PM, freesudani said:

Just saw a list of international airports re-opining dates , and they mostly are in late June and July, in a circumstance like this iMO citizens who have their homeland airport opened  by end of july will not be entitled to an extension , and the rest will be required to bring document from their country's embassy. So no i dont think there will be an extension for the amnesty.

If you are speaking about the same list I see then look again. It was a promotion drive by some travel company. It listed opening dates of countries who never closed in the first place.

 

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4973091

On 6/6/2020 at 4:07 PM, ubonjoe said:

If border crossings and flights are available in and out then it will not be extended. If not it will be extended for another month or so.

Quoting "The Night Owl", Bernard Trink, "Any comment would be superfluous. BUT, I Don't Give a Hoot!"

 

Thank you, ubonjoe.

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

I would be astonished if any previous extensions expiring during the grace period were retroactively moved to run from the end of the grace period. 

Agreed.  It would be like me hoping to get a 'refund' on the 60-day extension I obtained in March, which ended up being unnecessary due to the later 'automatic extension'.  

 

1 hour ago, phetpeter said:

I printed out their confirmation that I do not have go to the border until 31st July to pop in and out on my multi entry O visa, unless I hear that the border is open before that date. my concern is that will the border open before? or should it be extended I await the confirmation. It would seem reasonable to allow me to go to my local immigration to have a 3 month renewal stamp put in at no extra charge, plus no lost of validity, that way border crossings would not be overwhelmed, and paperwork would be up to date. Still wishful thinking Eh?

Yes, I believe that is wishful thinking.  It comes back to the question of, why not just let folks do in-country extensions like the Philippines?  You pay to stay - win/win for everyone - but they just won't do it here.

Going to need at least  1mth with  borders open and quarentine cancelled  to clear backlog so await announcement  at end of June

I am in a right pickle. I am married to a Thai girl who has lived most of her life in Tokyo. She has a nice but small apartment in a nice area. She gets a pension, healthcare insurance etc from her dead husband's estate, but only a one year visa which must be renewed every year. We often go together in the spring to renew the visa and the fall to avoid the rainy season in Thailand. 

She left about 3 weeks ago to renew her visa....it takes about 2-3 months there....so she has no passport and cannot leave Japan until the new visa to stay there is issues. If I go to Tokyo to see her I must go through 14 days of quarantine when I go, and when I come back to Bangkok. I want to do 28 days in quarantine like I want a hole in my head.

I follow all the news about lifting of the quarantine and note that the UK has just introduced one (a bit late) but these laws are easier to introduce that to do away with. I am going stir crazy here on my own in Thailand and am awaiting the date when I can travel to Tokyo without quarantine or she can come here with out it.

2 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I am in a right pickle. I am married to a Thai girl who has lived most of her life in Tokyo. She has a nice but small apartment in a nice area. She gets a pension, healthcare insurance etc from her dead husband's estate, but only a one year visa which must be renewed every year. We often go together in the spring to renew the visa and the fall to avoid the rainy season in Thailand. 

She left about 3 weeks ago to renew her visa....it takes about 2-3 months there....so she has no passport and cannot leave Japan until the new visa to stay there is issues. If I go to Tokyo to see her I must go through 14 days of quarantine when I go, and when I come back to Bangkok. I want to do 28 days in quarantine like I want a hole in my head.

I follow all the news about lifting of the quarantine and note that the UK has just introduced one (a bit late) but these laws are easier to introduce that to do away with. I am going stir crazy here on my own in Thailand and am awaiting the date when I can travel to Tokyo without quarantine or she can come here with out it.

Many are in the same boat ............????

3 hours ago, transam said:

Many are in the same boat ............????

Seems likely to replace what would have been a three day trip to Vientiane a few months ago. ????

So letting people stay who don't have coronavirus and are pumping money into economy to help what little businesses are open stay afloat doesn't sound like too bad an idea. In fact, it sounds like common sense.

 

Yep.... million percent as they say. Most any farang still here is still able to self sustain so it makes perfect sense to allow them to remain. Transition period would be a kindly act for those who didn't run away. Boom another 3 months to anybody already here and impose strict restrictions on inbound traffic. 

12 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

I am in a right pickle. I am married to a Thai girl who has lived most of her life in Tokyo. She has a nice but small apartment in a nice area. She gets a pension, healthcare insurance etc from her dead husband's estate, but only a one year visa which must be renewed every year. We often go together in the spring to renew the visa and the fall to avoid the rainy season in Thailand. 

She left about 3 weeks ago to renew her visa....it takes about 2-3 months there....so she has no passport and cannot leave Japan until the new visa to stay there is issues. If I go to Tokyo to see her I must go through 14 days of quarantine when I go, and when I come back to Bangkok. I want to do 28 days in quarantine like I want a hole in my head.

I follow all the news about lifting of the quarantine and note that the UK has just introduced one (a bit late) but these laws are easier to introduce that to do away with. I am going stir crazy here on my own in Thailand and am awaiting the date when I can travel to Tokyo without quarantine or she can come here with out it.

 

Dammmmn Good fortune mate.

 

 

On 6/6/2020 at 3:13 PM, finy said:

I know there doesn't seem to be a lot of common sense when it comes to extending the foreign visa amnesty, but I would be surprised if they didn't extend it for at least another 3 months come July.

Yeah I would like it extended but already been told big problem if my renewed passport doesn't turn up by July 31st.

Passport runs out 20th November and applied for renewal back in March. 

Been here 16 years and haven't a clue what to do.